>> Another POV
In Jim Wood’s POV (“California’s Crisis,” September) he ignored the cost of supporting a huge population of illegal immigrants. This burden is draining our health care system, our schools, our prisons. What is the point of releasing criminals if we do nothing about these known lawbreakers? We not only tolerate them, we positively encourage them (as in San Francisco with its sanctuary city policy).My point of view is it’s disingenuous to write about California’s financial ruin—“the waste, fraud and abuse we all know is there”—without mentioning one of the main problems —and then ask our politicians to “speak honestly to the voters.” Can Mr. Wood take his own words to heart?
J. Lopez, via e-mail
>> Editors’ Choice
Thank you for honoring Spirit Matters in Inverness Park with an Editors’ Choice award. Wow! How great you are for highlighting the small business wonders of Marin. I love our business, our wonderful suppliers, our lovely clients, and the magic we create together. I also love Marin Magazine which gets more beautiful and interesting with every issue. May we all grow and shine in this incredible place called Marin. Thank you for representing it so well and thanks for including us.
Nonnie Welch, Inverness Park
>> Educating Jackie
Tim Porter’s article “Educating Jackie” (September) captured the challenge faced by the county’s 75 public schools in California’s budget crisis. Thanks for raising awareness that the excellent public school system enjoyed by Marin residents is not fully funded by the state. As a longtime board member of the Corte Madera Larkspur Schools Foundation—recently rebranded as SPARK—I have never seen our system so threatened. Structural change at the state level isn’t likely in the near term, so the responsibility falls on the community to come to the schools’ aid. What can ensure that our children get a quality education, which of course positively impacts real estate values? On November 3, Corte Madera and Larkspur residents can help by voting YES to update our parcel tax policy. If it succeeds by a two-thirds majority, the Larkspur school system will receive an additional $500,000 annually for eight years for education. That support plus the tremendous support received from parents, our school foundation SPARK, our wonderful PTA, and local businesses will help deliver a great education to students like Jackie in your article.
Scott Key, co-president, SPARK
Letters to the editor may be edited for clarity and brevity. Send letters to Marin Magazine, One Harbor Drive, Suite 208, Sausalito, CA 94965. Or e-mail [email protected].
